#25: first step
What's on my mind
There are so many steps between where you are, and where you want to be.
Lots of conversations to have. Decision to make. Events to attend.
So much work. A lot of waiting.
Why does it have to be so difficult?
It's hard to see the end.
And even harder to begin.
But once you decide where you want to be, you just have to take the first step.
And not worry about the rest.
Because there's magic in starting.
And taking that first step.
It clears the path to the next.
And the one after.
They'll somehow keep appearing along the way.
And before you know it, you'll be closer than yesterday.
👋 Welcome to the 25th volume of Out of Curiosity, a weekly newsletter promoting ideas to help get 1% better everyday in work and life.
Every week, I go through nearly 100 pieces of content (from books and podcasts to newsletters and tweets), and bring you the best in this newsletter.
In this issue:
📚 How Life Works (by Andrew Matthews)🎓 Oh, the places lifelong learning takes you💭 The secret to doing what you love👋 Josh Spector
📚 How Life Works (by Andrew Matthews)
Notes on needing vs. wanting, persistence, and gratitude:
Here is an important distinction: the feeling of needing is totally different from the feeling of wanting. Needing is more like a hopeless desperation. When you need something, your attention is on what you don’t have. And when you focus on what you don’t have, you will continue not to have it.
The darkest hour is often just before the dawn. It is almost like life tests us: “Are you serious?” The bigger the goal, the darker it gets.
Average people say: “When I’m happy, then I’ll be grateful.” Joyful people say: “When I’m grateful, then I’ll be happy.”
🎓 Oh, the places lifelong learning takes you
Ronald Paul Ng, the father of Andrew Ng (Founder of Coursera), has completed 146 courses since the company's inception in 2012.
If you ask me why I did it, I don’t have a straight answer. Maybe it’s the same way I perceive my music and being part of an orchestra. I did it simply for the love of doing it.
His approach for choosing what to learn about was purely based on what looked interesting to him.
Through exploring wide-ranging interests, he eventually narrowed his focus down to Game Theory and Agent-based Modelling.
But to get there, he didn’t limit his initial curiosity.
💭 The secret to doing what you love
Just pick up that menu, take a look at what's on offer and I'm sure you'll also be able to find your dream on that menu.
Pick your dream of the day. It's all on the menu. It's all yours!
That successful entrepreneur? It's all yours!
That successful writer? It's all yours!
That successful artist? It's all yours!
That awesome career? It's all yours!
Just go through that menu and order it. And you'll get it delivered to your inbox in less than 24 hours…
But the truth is that nothing works overnight. Nothing…
Want to be a famous singer?
Just go and sing in front of the shittiest crowd on the planet for a couple of years.
Take every gig you can possibly get your hands on.
Don't wait for that one magic show that will make you famous overnight.
Don't wait for people to magically find out about you.
Don't wait for that record label to call you.
Because they won’t...
The same applies to authors, entrepreneurs, artists, freelancers and pretty much everything else out there.
If you're not willing to get your hands dirty for a couple of years, it's probably not going to work out.
📚 A line from a book that stuck with you
Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (by Eric Jorgenson)
📰 A newsletter you look forward to
🐦 A Twitter account to follow
🎧 A song you'd listen to all day on repeat
📱 An essential app
🤔 A question that's been on your mind lately
If your fanbase doubles in size, how does that benefit your current fanbase?
If you can figure out the answer to that question, you might find your existing fans a lot more eager to help you attract new ones.
👋 Follow Josh
I went back to my inbox and realized I've been getting Josh's For the Interested newsletter for the last 4 or so years. Imagine all the things I've been learning from him over the years!
I appreciate his consistency in creating quality content, providing value, and promoting other creators. You can also find Josh on Twitter.
Final Thought
Episode #4 of It’s Gotta Be the Mic went out last week.
It’s my favourite so far!
If you found this newsletter issue interesting (or boring), I'd love to know.
You can reply to this email, or hit the ♥️ button below 👇
Until next week,
Reza 🍋